


A General Librarian

by jasminetea



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Arranged Marriage, Canon Character of Color, Community: theoldguardkinkmeme, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Female Character of Color, Hot Dad Booker | Sebastien Le Livre, Libraries, May/December Relationship, Meddling, Misunderstandings, Oh No He's Hot, POV Nile Freeman, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fill, literally everyone in their lives is in on the Marriage Ploy, sentient magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasminetea/pseuds/jasminetea
Summary: “My gift is a sign of my vow to come and be wed and reside within your walls.  To add my book and my life to your shelves.”After she is forced to retire from the military, Nile is sent to be wed to the Lord of the Castle That Is a Library. Neither the Lord nor the Library are what she expect… but they might be exactly what she needs.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman
Comments: 40
Kudos: 104





	A General Librarian

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaybella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaybella/gifts).



> Written for [this prompt](https://theoldguardkinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/5880.html?thread=2073336#cmt2073336) on the kink meme. While I took some liberties with the prompt, OP if you’d like this to be gifted to you, please let me know!
> 
> Thanks to the 18+ server (Disaster Immortals) for the cheerleading. Some inspiration indirectly taken from Tessa Gratton’s _Night Shine_ too. If you like gorgeous prose, queer fairy tales, and monsters, I highly recommend.

_In the Castle That Is a Library, there lived a widowed man with his three children. And although his heart was full of love, there were times his gaze would go distant, and his hands ached with loneliness, for he had more love than he could share with his children alone..._

* * *

Nile arrived at the Castle That Is a Library with only her mare named Steadfast and her travel kit, which included her favorite book. She was utterly without a retinue, which would surely upset her family once they realized she was not sulking in her tower. She wasn’t going to throw away years of training as a soldier to weep inconsolably, not when she could ride out and meet her fate on her own terms.

(She did cry the first night. Her family thought it because of the marriage, but truly it had been grief: she would never be a soldier again with her injury, would never lead or march beside her team again.)

Nile never planned on marrying, and certainly not to man so much older than her. But her elder brother was married to a diplomat, and her elder sister had gotten her into this mess by eloping with a couple. Which left her younger sibling, Kai, and Nile was not going to see them married off to a man old enough to be their father.

So Nile arrived at the Castle That Is a Library on her own terms. Touching her satchel to make sure her gift was still there, she knocked politely at the side-entrance, not wanting to make a fuss of her arrival.

 _Who’s there?_ the Castle asked.

“I’m Princess Nile.”

_A Princess? Are you sure you’re not a General?_

“I’m like you, dear Castle, I am more than one thing. I am a General and a Princess.”

 _A General Who Is a Princess_ , it said to itself. _Oh, yes, I see it shining from your heart, and… Well, then, I’d better let you in before you try to knock me down with an army. Armies are always a waste of resources… all that grain and coin going to them when it could go towards more books…_

“Thank you Castle.” She pressed a kiss to its door. “And I brought you a gift.” She may have forgone courtesy, but she remembered the most important thing: the Castle loved books, and she’d brought a favorite of hers _The Eighth Rose Petal_. It was a well-worn book, the gilt on the letters long rubbed away, but its pages were carefully kept free of folds and stains. She held it out to the Castle, and a strong wind blew the scent of it to the Castle.

 _This is_ your _book_ , it said.

It was. She’d carried it with her through all her campaigns, even rebinding the loose pages after the South Wind River campaign. Her family had rolled their eyes that she’d abandoned everything from her life as a princess except for her love of books. This was, perhaps, how she got affianced to the widowed Lord of the Castle That Is a Library. Her parents probably offered them her entire book collection that she’d painstakingly collected and shipped during her travels.

_It says you’ve loved it well, and that you are indeed a mighty General._

Nile looked back down at the book, rubbed her thumb against the cover, and hugged it tightly. She hoped one day she, too, could talk to her books. Nile was already predisposed to like a library, but she made a decision: she might not be generous to her husband, but to the spirit of the castle, yes. So she recited what she hoped would be a good introduction to the Castle: “It is a sign of my vow to come and be wed and reside within your walls. To add my book, and my life, to your shelves.”

The door opened. _Then come and be welcome, Nile_.

* * *

Once Nile found a stable near a large expanse of pasture, she took care of Steadfast and then let her out into the grass with the other horses. She was unsure what to do with herself. Should she find the Lord of the Castle and ambush him? Set some pebbles beneath his mattress? Or perhaps she’d wander the Castle before he could impose any foolish rules upon her stay.

However, the emptiness of the Castle was odd. “Where are all the people, Castle?”

The Castle sighed. _If there’s no one to impress, please call me Library._

Nile corrected herself.

_There was a fair last night, and many of the people who live here are sleeping off the last night’s revelries._

Nile marveled at how safe they must feel to sleep so late and so soundly. She could not remember the last time she did so. Even when she returned home to her family, she slept lightly, waiting for the cries of her soldiers, and the bellow of the horns.

_I am a very safe Library. I’m made of stone, so fire is less of a threat to my books and people._

“You’re a very old library for good reason,” Nile replied.

The Library preened.

Nile tried to enjoy the peacefulness out in the sunshine, watching the horses play. But she was unused to idleness, even though she knew how precious this was. So she was relieved when a man made his way towards her. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and thick in his arm and thigh. She wanted to test her skill with a sword against him, but despite his build, perhaps he was not a warrior? His fingertips were stained with ink, and his shirt had a small handprint still wet with paint.

“Oh, there you are!” he said. “The Library told me you had come, and I need your help most urgently.”

“Um, sure?”

He took her hand and led her down a series of winding hallways filled with sunlight, some shaded corners, and through a secret passage hidden by ivy. He moved well, surprisingly light on his feet despite his bulk, and there were callouses upon his hands. Nile could have easily pulled herself out of his grip, but the dry warmth of his hand in hers is nice.

Their destination was one of the Library’s many rooms. A quick look around revealed shelves full of military histories and three boys: the eldest was a young man doing his best to be nonchalant, the tallest was a teenager whose determined face was dotted with spots, and the youngest was around ten and bouncing with excitement. They, and the man who’d brought Nile, were clearly all related. Father and sons, she thought.

“Papa, who have you brought!” the youngest boy exclaimed.

“Why are you holding her hand?” the tallest boy asked.

The eldest elbowed the tallest, and whispered something furiously to him in French.

“ _Oh_ ,” the tall boy said.

The man looked down at his hand in Nile’s with surprise. He quickly let go of her and shot her an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry – grabbing you like that when you’ve only just come. I’m just so used to the boys you see…” he waved vaguely, and the youngest grabbed hold of the now-empty hand.

The man swept the boy up into the air, who shrieked with laughter as he was spun around. The man put him down, only for the other two to latch onto him and climb him despite their older age. It was rather sweet to see them like that – the man adoring his children, and the children unabashedly returning that affection.

Once the children had all their feet back on the ground, Nile told the man. “You’re forgiven, if you’ll tell me all your names?” Perhaps she could befriend him. (A small part of that sounded like Andy said, “Maybe your old husband will let you have some fun on the side,” which she mentally shoved into a corner.)

“Oh, you’re a friend of Andy’s right?” the man said, not even out of breath despite tumbling about with his children. “Call me Bas.”

The tallest perked right up, “Auntie Andy sent her?”

“I’ve brought the warrior your Aunt has been telling you about. Would you please introduce yourselves to…” he looked to Nile. “I’m not sure how you’d like to be addressed,” he confessed.

“Just Nile is fine.”

“Nile, then,” he said with a small smile.

“I’m Nicolas. Are you a great warrior?” the tallest boy asked.

“I’m Julien. Are you a _wise_ warrior?” the eldest asked, sliding a glance at his brother.

“I’m Jasmin. Have you brought candy?” the youngest asked.

To the first two she said, “Meet me in combat and you will see.” To the youngest, she said, “I did not bring candy. Do they not allow you any here?”

“Papa says candy is for after vegetables,” Jas pouted.

“It sounds like your Papa has the right of it.” She ruffled his hair, and he giggled. Turning back to Bas, she inquired, “You said you needed me for something?”

“Yes!” Nicolas interjected. “I am sixteen and ready to join the army, but Papa does not want me to go.”

She wanted to ask, _Why is that_? But a glance at Bas showed him looking helpless, solemn, and even a little despairing. She preferred him laughing.

“Why do you want to join?” Nile replied.

“Because I want to be like Auntie Andy!”

“And what is your favorite thing about her?”

Nicolas’ face scrunched as he considered his answer. “How loyal she is, how she leaves no one behind.”

Nile admired that about her too, and she nodded. “You can do that without joining the military. Leaving no one behind can also include the bounty the Library enjoys. Is everyone who lives near here able to access the Library and its knowledge?” Nicolas shook his head. “But if your heart is set upon the military, do not join unless you are ready to let blood and tears be shed: yours; your enemy’s; the innocent; and the families left behind, waiting only to be told their loved ones are gone – or even worse, never told what became of them at all.” She rubbed the back of her neck, hair shorn after her injury because the skin was so intensely sensitive.

“You’ve given me something to think about.”

“I like her,” Julien said. “She’s talked you out of your foolishness, Nico.”

“Papa can she stay?” Jas asked.

Booker looked panicked for an entirely different reason now. “Ah, now that Nico’s question has been answered, perhaps it’s time to show Nile…”

“...the art section of the library?” she helpfully provided.

“Yes!”

And once more, Bas led Nile through the Library. Once they were out of earshot of the children, they exited into a courtyard with a small labyrinth upon its floor.

He let out a deep exhale. “Thank you for coming all this way. When Andy said she knew the perfect person to explain why Nico should not follow in her footsteps, I expected her to send Quỳnh, not her protégée!”

Nile blinked, things coming together in her mind. “Wait, are you the Sébastien who was at the Battle of Red Ink?” When the magistrate had started embezzling funds from an inland port city to the west, it had set off a chain of events that led to a wholesale slaughter. The port had been rendered useless during peak shipping season by the bloat of bodies. Andy’s eyes still grew distant when she talked about the month she and her team had spent trapped in the port. (“The bodies Nile, it was summer, and the _bodies,”_ Andy had said, reaching for the bottle but carefully refrained from drinking from it.) Quỳnh had still been missing then, and Sébastien had been the one to guard Andy back through that hell. Andy always said it was that battle that had driven Sébastien to retire from the army and seek a quiet life elsewhere. (“I still miss my favorite drinking partner,” Andy said, “but it was the right choice for him. Don’t pick up the bottle kid, get out before you need to.”)

Sébastien’s shoulders drooped, and the man who had been as large as a giant with his children suddenly looked as small as a mouse. He looked like a soldier who had seen too much. She’d seen this before: soldiers who did not know how to talk to their families about what they’d done, did not want to tell them about the blood on their hands.

“Yes,” is all he said.

Nile wasn’t sure what to say, but she thought of the way he lit up when his children touched him. So she drew him into her arms and when he did not flinch or pull away, she tightened her hold. She wanted to tell him _I’m sorry_ , or _It turned out alright_ , maybe _Your children will not have to fight as we have_ , but she didn’t know him well enough to give those sort of platitudes.

After a moment, he just _melted_ into her and his arms wrapped tightly around her. He was heavy upon her, in a good, comforting sort of way. And the trust he gave her, sure she could keep them both upright, was flattering.

She meant just to give him some comfort, but pressed this closely to him, she could tell he really was well and sturdily built. Her traitorous mind wished if she were to marry an older man, would that it be him – delighted with his children, easy to climb, and somehow sweet despite the years he spent fighting with Andy. Sweetness was something that had always drawn her. She could not imagine her wedding bed with her older husband full of it. In fact, she was worried that if he knew that while knowledgeable, she was a virgin, he would be thrilled to break her to his touch like a wild horse. She held Bas all the tighter.

A breeze blew through the courtyard, raining them in tiny flower petals, which sounded suspiciously like pleased laughter.

Nile took a step back, and Bas followed her. But then he recalled himself and stood upon his own two feet again. He looked less drawn now, but his eyes still looked over her shoulder sadly. She took his chin in her hand and directed his gaze to her.

“Hey, Bas, focus on me. Today’s been good so far. I like the Library so far, and it’s adorable how much your children love you. And I got to hug you! I give pretty good hugs if I do say so myself.”

He indeed focused on her. So intently in fact, it sent a shiver up her spine.

“Nile,” he croaked.

“You back with me?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Can you tell me how you decided to go into book arts? Andy laughs about it all the time, but I don’t know the story behind it.”

Bas straightened up, then scratched the back of his head, looking bashful. His biceps looked quite delectable. “It’s a bit embarrassing…”

“...which would explain why Andy can’t finish the story because she’s laughing so hard.”

As Bas looked for his words, the Library jumped in. _Bas decided to go into forging instead to get enough money to drink! Good thing I convinced him to restore my books instead!_ Then the Library changed topics. _Bas!_ _She brought us a new book! It’s the Liu translation of_ The Eighth Rose Petal _. You know how long I’ve been wanting it!_

Bas chuckled, warm and low. “Well, I guess I should show you where the romantic epics are.”

* * *

The romantic epics were located next to a rose garden, with some of them climbing the edges of the floor to ceiling windows. There were crystals hung from the ceiling, and as the sun caught them, rainbows were scattered across the room.

It was quite stunning, and Nile longed to see what the rest of the Library looked like. She wondered if each room matched the collection it housed. She could spend hours – _years_ – exploring this, not to mention devising a better way to defend the Library given the low rolling hills surrounding it.

“Knowing the Library,” Bas said, “they’ll want it between the César and Nguyen translations, which is right here.” He tapped his finger on one of the shelves.

Nile hesitated. While this wing was beautiful, it didn’t feel right to place it here, not when she came for such personal reasons.

Picking up on her reluctance, Bas said kindly, “You don’t have to give it up yet. What book are you looking for?”

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t that why you brought a book? To leave it in order to take another?”

She blinked at him. “Uh...”

_How many books did you say you had, Nile? I might convince Bas to finally let me expand my wings…_

“Expand?” Bas exclaimed in confusion. “It’d take a lot of books to justify that, and why would she give us that many? She isn’t going to be staying here…”

“I am,” Nile insisted. “My book – my _life_ – is not meant to be shelved in a room meant for just anyone. While I did not ask for _his_ hand, I have come here to be wed to the Lord of the Castle That Is a Library. And while I plan on giving the Lord as little satisfaction possible in demanding my life, I am going to make the best of my time here with the Library – and that includes making sure I am given my due as a Princess of the Castle of Unshakable Violets, a General descended from Andromache herself, and above all as a woman come to make her own fate.”

(“Violets grow wherever they are planted,” Nile’s mother had said. “So do we. Nile, let me see you be watered with something other than blood. Let me see you live and flourish, _please_.”)

Bas managed to look both dazzled and mortified. “I think there’s been a terrible misunderstanding…”

 _Why would you say that about Bas?_ the Library pouted to Nile.

Nile looked at Bas and realized she made a novice error, assuming her opinion was fact: that the Lord of the Library was old, ugly, and with as much personality as a raisin. And maybe her family was right. She hadn’t paid attention to the finer details of the Lord, because she had been so angry to be forever exiled from her troops by her injury. She covered her face with her hands. “...shit, you’re the Lord of the Castle That Is a Library.”

“At your service General Nile.” He knelt beautifully, and Nile’s breath became hard to find.

“I am a General in name only. I can no longer fight, and I won’t command troops I cannot fight alongside.” While true, she’d also been commanded home, both by Andy and her own mother. She held the side of her neck, where the wyvern had bitten her. The scar was an ugly thing; the wyvern had sunk its teeth into her and then worried her, leaving scars from her breast to her back. But while some sought a wyvern’s bite for it granted immunity to poison, to a soldier it was a disability. After the bite, the rush of battle left Nile violently sick afterwards.

“Oh, I see, this is _Andy’s_ scheme then,” Bas muttered.

“Andy? What does she have to do with this.”

“She’s wanted me to be remarried for years, no thanks to her now being reunited with her wife and the Library bending her ear.”

 _You do your best work when you’re happy_ , the Library insisted.

“And Andy knew I would not be happy as just a Princess. She likely felt bad too. I was studying art history when Andy saw me practicing swordwork on the side. She took one look at me and took me under her wing. I have no regrets, but well, you know Andy.”

Bas nodded. “But why did she send you here to be _married_?”

“My mother.” Now that Nile’s head wasn’t clouded by her own misconceptions, she saw her mother’s fingerprints all over this along with Andy’s. “She wants me somewhere safe and happy, and a man like you is a sure bet. A friend of Andy’s; pledged to a peaceful life, but able to fight if need be; married before, and surely acquainted of the loyalty and effort it requires; and you already have children and are unlikely to force me to bear more.” Slyly, she added, “Although the fact you’re skilled enough in bed to convince your wife to bear you three children is likely a plus.”

Bas turned a lovely shade of red. “Err, well…”

“Are you saying you’re _not_ well-skilled?” While she enjoyed teasing him, she was also greatly interested for personal reasons. She was a virgin more by circumstance than anything. Advancing under Andy’s tutelage had been the most important thing to do; she hadn’t had time to fumble around with other people her age. Now that she had time for more hobbies than books, maybe it was time to give sex a try.

“Ah, regardless, you need not stay and marry me.”

Nile shook her head. “I’ve been a General; I cannot go back to being only a Princess. Besides, my family doesn’t understand why I still miss the army, even though I almost died.” Not many people survived taking as large a dose of wyvern venom as Nile did.

Bas’ eyes softened. “So she sends her two misfits together. Well then, regardless, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. I can tell your family we’ve wed regardless so they don’t worry.” Before Nile could reply, he continued. “In the spirit of no further miscommunications, I must tell you that I’m not really a Lord. It’s just that people understand and respect that title more than ‘Head Bookmender’ – like how the Library is technically a fort and not a castle – and there has not been a Head Librarian here since before I came.”

“Might I… learn a Library trade here too?” Nile asked.

“Oh, well certainly. We don’t turn people away. Libraries take all types.”

 _A General Librarian…_ , the Library mused not so subtly.

“It does. Thank you Library.” She pressed a kiss to the nearest bookshelf. The Library purred, and Nile’s never had a man look at her the way Bas was now.

“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s get you settled in. The Library mentioned you were bringing books with you. How many are we expecting?”

Nile told him.

Booker was a bit dazzled. “And what kind are they?”

“Some history, some military tactics, but also a lot of popular fiction.”

“Oh, everyone is going to love you. If you choose to share them, that is?”

Nile nodded. “Of course, but I’d like to keep some for myself.”

“As the Library’s no doubt told you, we haven’t expanded the past few years, so I’m afraid the only place with enough shelving for your collection is the Lady’s wing. Which might be in need of cleaning?”

 _Oh I already took care of that_.

Booker looked skyward. “Grant me the patience to deal with you,” he pled. To Nile, he said, “It adjoins mine. We can keep the door between us closed, of course.”

Nile demurred, but she thought of how lovely Bas had looked kneeling before her. She’d planned campaigns on how to bring conquering armies to their knees; she could surely do the same to a single man in the name of mutual pleasure. She’d never tried to seduce anyone before, but she thought about her legs over his shoulders and said very lowly, “Will you show me?”

He did, but not before mumbling another plea for patience.

* * *

Once Bas showed her her suite of rooms, he lingered in the doorway.

“My wife passed before I moved here.”

Nile made an inquisitive noise, looking around. It was certainly not dusty, but there were quaint touches leftover, like lipstick on the vanity mirror forming an impromptu treasure map.

“I would not expect you to take the room, let alone the bed of my dead wife. So...” he scratched his chin. “You will be the first to reside here.”

There were marks on the wall with dates and names too. “Looks like the kids have played in here before.”

“I, ah, admit I did use this as a playroom when they were younger.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Nile said, opening up the windows. The room overlooked another rose garden. “This is like something out of a book,” she mused.

Bas stepped behind her. “Yes, the Library does have a sense of humor.” She looked at him, and the movement hurt, the scar uncomfortably tight. “Are you hurt?” Bas asked, seeing the wince upon her face. “Andy mentioned it, but did not tell me the details.”

“A wyvern’s bite,” Nile gritted her teeth, rolling her shoulder. “The skin is tight and I need to apply ointment to it.”

Bas flinched in sympathy too. “Would you like… help with it?”

“Yes, but perhaps after I eat? I’m going to get grumpy about it without food.”

“You haven’t eaten yet? We usually don’t eat until later, but I can find something for you?”

Nile said yes.

“I’ll leave you to your room then. Let me, or the Library, know if there’s anything we can get to make it more home… ah, comfortable for you. I’ll be back as soon as I can with some food.”

Bas quietly closed the door behind her, and Nile set about exploring the rooms. There were plenty of empty bookshelves, some still occupied by their stuffed animal companions. The bedroom had a raised bed, the legs and headboard carved with animals. The dresser drawers were clean and smelled of cedar.

There was, of course, a bookshelf there too, and the Library has placed a small jar of violets on one of its shelves. This would be for her own private collection of books, then. She placed her copy of _The Eight Petal_ on the shelf above the violets.

When she smelled something delicious, Nile returned to the waiting room. Bas had returned with a repurposed book cart full of piping hot home-cooked food. He even had a pot of the nice tea Quỳnh likes, which Nile drank with a nostalgic smile.

“The Library said everyone had today off, I hope you didn’t have to bother whoever normally cooks?”

Bas grinned. “I made it.”

Nile couldn’t help the broad smile that tugged at her lips in response. Perhaps being married to this man would not be a hardship after all.

* * *

_And to the Castle That Is a Library came a woman who, like the Library, was more than one thing. She had been born a Princess, had been a General by chance, and now had begrudgingly come to be a Wife. But in her heart was a secret wish: to know who she could be if she_ chose…

“That’s Auntie Nile, right?!”

_Yes, yes it is. Now, let me continue to tell you about how she became the General Librarian, the champion of my collection..._

**Author's Note:**

> Additional thoughts about this ‘verse:  
> 
> 
> * Because OP mentioned Beauty and the Beast, there’s also nightly dinner requests (aka part of Nile’s Seduce the Hot Dad Plan): Pretty much every dinner Nile is like “hey Bas, come back to my room, I need help with with my scar” or “Help me get out of this complicated dress :)” or “Help me do my hair! *puppy eyes*” (that one takes a lot of time because she has to show him how) and for a period that nearly kills Bas “Please help me read this pornographic romance book in French!”  
> 
> * And then, you know, they fall in love. And the ensuite door is effectively always open, and their books and clothes migrate between their rooms.  
> 
> * Julien was named after his mom.  
> 
> * Nicolas was named after Nicky because he introduced Booker and his wife. Nicky and Booker are old friends in this fic.  
> 
> * Jasmin was named by his older siblings after Auntie Quỳnh because once she came back, Auntie Andy was happy, and they wanted their Auntie Andy to be happy 5eva. (Google says Quỳnh means “night blooming flower” and “night blooming jasmine” is also a flower.)  
> 
> * The kids are also fully in on the scheme to Get Dad a New Wife.  
> 
> * As for library jobs, Booker’s more like tech services. Since the books don’t have due dates, Nile checks up on the books that have been out for awhile. The books have their own sentience, so she asks them stuff like: how are you, what’s up, is your borrower treating you good? And if the book’s been poorly treated she hexes the borrower.  
> 
> * Some people mishear Nile’s title as just a general librarian, which proves to be disastrous once they realize she’s an Actual General. Just ask the fools who attacked the Library so they could sell its books for profit.
> 
> Comments are very much appreciated! Next fic might be Booker + Team book club or the Joe/Nicky Cinderella fic.


End file.
